Thoughts and observations Monday after two of four rounds have been completed in the opening day of the 44th American Ambulance Fresno Easter Baseball Classic. It will continue through Wednesday: ** It’s not a stretch to think Kerman — the little guy in its first Classic appearance — could be 3-0 entering the Carlos Salazar [...]

James Patrick isn’t ready to saddle that Harley quite yet. Close, but not quite. “I don’t want to hang a number on anything because that’s when you’re announcing retirement,” the 54-year-old Clovis High baseball coach said during practice Monday, three days after he won his 600th game when the Cougars scored eight runs in the [...]

There was a day not too long ago when the domestic diamond duels of the Patricks were quite the buzz in Tri-River Athletic Conference baseball: James the father vs. Kevin the son; brothers Chris vs. Kevin; Dad vs. Chris, and so on. But it didn’t take long for them to get trumped by the overall [...]

Kerman High pitcher Carlos Salazar, a Fresno State commit and one of the nation’s top professional prospects, has been named a Rawlings Preseason All-American. The 6-1, 210-pounder right-hander, clocked at 98 mph this season, is one of only 50 players on the team, one of 11 Californians and the only Central Section representative. (To catch [...]

Career win No. 600 awaits for Clovis High baseball coach James Patrick after his fourth-ranked Cougars failed to secure a five-run lead through five innings Saturday and lost 7-5 at home to No. 9 Frontier in the final day of the Central California Showcase. Patrick, 599-209-2 in 28 seasons at Memorial (two) and Clovis (26), [...]

BASEBALL Scotty Roberts had an RBI single and scored in the bottom of the first as Madera beat Fresno 2-1 to improve to 5-1 at the Central Tournament. The host Grizzlies got four RBIs from Andrew Pifferini in a 9-5 win over Washington. A.J. Ferdinandi reached on a fielder’s choice in the bottom of the [...]